Hair cutting guide



March 31, 1959 J. MILLER 2,879,777

HAIR CUTTING GUIDE Filed Dec. 19. 1956 -30 VENT R.

20 JOHN fiyyLLE +53. 4- 22 BY W, 24 M f/yj AT Tam e 73 United States Patent 2,879,777 HAIR CUTTING GUIDE John Miller, Fallsington, Pa.

Application December 19, 1956, Serial No. 629,361

3 Claims. (Cl. 132-45) This invention relates to a hair cutting guide and more particularly to a guide which will facilitate the level cutting of hair to produce crew cuts and other similar hair styles.

'In cutting the hair to relatively short lengths it has heretofore been a problem for the barber or other person doing the hair cutting to perform the operation so thatthe haircut has a level appearance. This dilficultyQis due to the fact that the person whose hair is being cut does not always tend-to hold his head level, so that it becomes a matter of great difliculty requiring extreme skill for the barber to make certain that the final haircut will have a level appearance.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a device which will overcome this difliclty by providing a visual indication to the barber that the hair is being properly cut so that it will ultimately give a very level appearance. The present invention further provides a guide means for the clippers, scissors or other cutting instrument so that by following such guide a level out is automatically provided. Thus, the operation may be done more quickly, efliciently, and at the same time, more accurately.

Accordingly, it is one object of this invention to provide a hair cutting guide particularly suitable for crew cuts which will give a visual indication that the top of the hair is being cut on a level.

Another object is to provide a comb-like guide which may be readily inserted into the hair and over which the cutting instrument may be moved so as to result in a level crew cut.

Still another object is to provide a hair cutting guide having a comb-like construction in which the teeth are designed to readily facilitate the hair cutting operation.

These and other objects will become more apparent from the accompanying description and from the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is illustrative of the hair cutting operation using the novel guide of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a top view of the hair cutting guide herein disclosed and claimed.

Figure 3 is an elevation view of the guide shown in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a cross-section of one of the teeth of the comb in the cutting guide illustrated by taking a section 2,879,777 Patented Mar. 31, 1959 mine that the hair is beingcut so that the top thereof will have a level appearance.

The teeth of the comb-like body of the present device are particularly designed to facilitate the operation herein contemplated. Thus, they are made readily insertible into the hair by having a tapered cross-section wherein the wider edge of the tooth cross-section is substantially flat and integral with the normally upper surface of the guide, while the lower edge has a pointed construction. Moreover, the free ends of the teeth are beveled on the upper surface so that the device is easily inserted into the body of hair.

The sides of the teeth of the comb-like portion of the present device are tapered and may be either linear or curved. A preferred construction is that wherein the teeth have a trapezoidal cross-section in which the sides of the teeth are tapered at an angle of from 45 to 60 with respect to the upper surface of the guide. The lower tooth surface may approach a point, i.e. the trapezoidal cross-section may approach one. of triangular'cross-section, such .that the said surface may be as little as $4 of 44 as indicated in Figure 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Essentially, the present invention comprises a hair cutting guide which includes a comb-like body and gripping means therefor. The gripping means may be a part of the comb-like body or, in a preferred embodiment, comprise a handle integral with the said comb-like body. In such an embodiment the teeth of the comb-like body will run longitudinally with respect to the handle. The guide has secured to the normally upper surface thereof a level indicating means which preferably comprises a liquid level indicator transverse to the teeth of the comb-like body. This allows the barber or operator to immediately deterof an inch in width. The teeth are spaced further apart in the normal hair comb and in a preferred construction there would be about '4 to 6 teeth per inch. The space between the teeth would be smallest at the upper surface of the guide, and at that point would constitute only about A to V2 the width of each tooth. Thus, in a specific embodiment the teeth would be to A; of an inch wide at the upper level of the guide, while the spacing between teeth at this point would be about .05 inch.

The sides of the teeth could be cut or machined by known methods and typically could be made with a 24 pitch No. l involute gear cutter. Thus, the sides could have either a curved or linear cross-section, and the term trapezoidal as herein used is intended to include both constructions.

The cutting guide of the present invention may be made of any suitable material of construction such as a wrought aluminum alloy, a copper aluminum alloy, other metals or plastics well known to the art.

Referring now to the drawings in more detail, it can be seen in Figure 1 that the guide generally designated as 10 will be inserted into the hair from the front to the rear of the head. With the level indicator facing upward the barber is immediately able to determine whether a level out is being obtained. This is particularly important in the case of crew cuts where the essential feature of the styling requires a level top surface for the cut. There appears to be less difliculty in having the person whose hair is being cut adjust his head so that a longitudinal level is maintained, although through the use of the present device this can also be determined simply by turning the cutting guide at the right angles of the position indicated in Figure 1.

In Figure 2 the details of the guide can be more readily seen. Looking at the normally upper surface thereof the guide comprises a handle 11 which may contain a suitable opening 12 for hanging the same, and, secured thereto by screw 12 or other suitable joining means, a liquid .level indicator 14. The level indicator is of a type well known to the art having an opening 15 through which a bubble 16 is visible so that it is easy to determine that when the bubble is centrally located with respect to opening 15 proper leveling is being obtained. The guide also includes a comb-like portion generally designated as 18 having a plurality of teeth 20. The teeth are preferably tapered or beveled near the free ends thereof at 21 so that when inserted into the hair as shown in Figure 1 they will tend to force the hair upward and make the insertion of this device a relatively simple procedure. The upper surface of the teeth 20 which is visible on Figure 2 is more clearly apparent from Figure 4. The

struction having relatively straight sides, although thesesides may also be of a curved nature. -The trapezoidal constructionis apparent from the fact that edges 21 and 24 are substantially parallel.

Another feature which becomes apparent from an inspection of Figure 3 is that the tapered section 21 of the teeth is at a relatively small angle and will typically be about 30 with respect to the horizontal. The handle section may comprise either a single integral piece or as shown-in Figure 3 comprise a pair of cut metallic pieces 29 and 30 which have been secured to the main body of the guide forming the teeth 20.

In the foregoing, I have described my invention only 'in connection with preferred embodiments thereof. Many variations and modifications of the principles of my invention within the scope of the description herein are obvious. Accordingly, I prefer to be bound not by the specific disclosure herein, but only by the appending claims.

I claim:

1. A hair cutting comprising a body with spaced parallel teeth extending therefrom, gripping means therefor,

said teeth having a tapered cross section, the upper surfaces of said teeth being substantially flat and of a width greater than the spaces between adjacent teeth, said teeth becoming narrower toward the under side of said body, and further being downwardly tapered at the free ends thereof so as to make them readily insertible into the hair, the upper surface of said body having secured thereto a transversely-extending liquid level indicator so that the guide may be maintained on a transverse level when inserted into the hair. V

2. The hair cutting guide of claim 1 in which the teeth are of a trapezoidal cross-section.

3. The hair cutting'guide of claim 2 in which the sides of the teeth are tapered at an angle of from to with respect to the upper surface of the guide.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 567,910 Mathews Sept. 15, 1896 1,633,893 Hymer June 28, 1927 2,325,246 Halen July 27, 1943 2,778,366 Richmond Jan. 22, 1957 2,786,477 "Cohen Mar. 26, 1957 UNITED STATES "PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 2,879,777 March 31, 1959 John Miller It is herebj certified that error appears in the-printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected belo Column 3, line 24, after "cutting' insert guide Signed and sealed this 28th day of Jul 1959.

( SEAL) Attest:

KARL H. AXLINE ROBERT C. WATSON Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

